Early morning fire severely damages St. George home

An early morning fire on Crystal Drive in St. George severely damaged a home. No injuries to family members or pets were reported. St. George, Utah, Feb. 25, 2018 | Photo by Ric Wayman, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — The quiet hours before dawn Sunday were shattered on Crystal Drive in the Tonaquint area of St. George when a home went up in flames.

An early morning fire on Crystal Drive in St. George severely damaged a home. No injuries to family members or pets were reported. St. George, Utah, Feb. 25, 2018 | Photo by Ric Wayman, St. George News

The residence at 808 W. Crystal Drive was reported on fire to dispatchers about 2:30 a.m. When firefighters arrived they found the home fully engulfed in flames and the seven family members with their pets outside the home, uninjured.

A smoke detector alerted the family to the blaze, St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker told St. George News through a text message.

“The family stated the smoke detector went off,” he said in the text. “One of the children noticed the power had gone off and woke the parents up. They also heard a loud popping noise from the garage.”

Family members attempted to open the garage door but were unable to do so due to the smoke and flames from the garage.

“The fire spread into the attic above the garage, and then throughout the attic over the home,” Stoker said in his text. “We ended up pulling ceilings (down) throughout the home to extinguish the fire.”

The fire was contained to the one house with those on both sides of it successfully protected by firefighters. There were five engines, two ladder trucks and 30 firefighters involved in the response.

The home has fire, smoke and water damage throughout and is uninhabitable, Stoker said in his text. Cause of the fire has yet to be determined, and Stoker estimates the damage to be $180,000 to $200,000.

The American Red Cross was called out to assist the family and provided services for them.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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About the Author

"I wrote my first word when I was very young. I enjoyed this so much I decided to write many more words."
A native of Pacific Palisades, Calif., Ric was bitten by the news bug as a staff writer and associate editor of the Palisades High School Tideline. After school he entered the media as a radio personality, both playing music and reporting news. Ric moved to St. George in the 1980s and was the morning personality on all three major AM stations in town. An avid amateur radio operator, Ric is looking for a good band to play in, as he plays keyboards, bass and guitar. Ric lives in the center of St. George with his neurotic cat.